Bean-separator.



M. MERRIMAN. BEAN SEPARM'OR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY I9. 1917.

Patente Feb. 19, 12H8.

544 vento/z.

M. MERKIMHN IUI New mus v MERTON MERRIIVIAN, 0F LINCOLN, W'ISCONSIN.

' BEANJSEPARATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 19, 19.18.

Application led May 19, 1917. Sera1No.169,734.

To, all whom t may concern:

vBe it known that I, Mnn'roN .MERRIMAN, a citizen ofthellnited States, residing at Lincoln, in 1the ,count7 o fAdams and Stateof Wisconsin, 'have invented certain new ,and useful Improvements in Bean-separators, of which the 'following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings. l

This invention relates to bean separators, and has for its primary object to provide a machine whereby the separation of bad beans and other waste material from the good beans may be greatly facilitated.

lt is another important object of the invention tcprovide a machine for the above purpose, inclndingan endless traveling belt or conveyer, and means for feeding the beans in varying quantities over a greater orlless` area of theupper stretch of the conveyer.

Itis also one ofthedetailedobjects lofthe invention to provide an improvedmounting and arrangementof the ,feeding roll, `and simple andeectivevmeans for preventing clogging .of said roll.

YThe invention also has for a further object to provideseparatedischarge.spouts or tubes for thegood and bad beans and means `for directing the same into vthe respective tubes-,and means for adjustably mounting said tubes and the directing means.

And it `isa further general object of my invention toprovide abean sorting o r separating machine which is inexpensive in conistruction, as well as strong anddurable, and highly Aconvenient and serviceable in practical use.

YWith the above and otherobjects in view, mv invention consists in the novel features of-construction, combination, and arrange- ;mentcof parts to be her inafter more fully described, claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a llongitudinal sectional view through a bean sorting machine, illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line .f2-*2 of Fig. 1;

Fig is a transverse section takenV on the line of lFig. l;V

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevation showing the operating means for thefeeding roll and the conveyer.

which are mounted upon a suitable support, and in the opposite ends of these frame' bars, the rollers 6 and 7 respectively are rotatably mounted in suitable bearings. An endless apron or conveyer 8 extends around these rollers and the stretchesthereof:aremovable longitudinally between the frame bars V5.

vThe bearings'for the rollers 7 are longitudinally adjustable upon the fr'amebars 5 so that slack in the apron -'or conveyer v8-may b e ltaken up. Immediately beneath theupper stretch of the apron S, a horizontal board or wall 9 is arranged and'tiire'd to the vframe bars 5. This horizontal board over which the upper stretch of the apron travels, 'is spaced at its opposite endsfrom the rollers 6 and 7.

Upon the `frame bars J5, above the apron roller 6, the relatively short, vertical walls 10 are arrangechand maybe either permanently secured to the frame walls I5 ordetachablylmounted thereon-in any preferred manner. rllhese walls are connected to each other at one of their. ends by the 4transverse wall 11.

Tothe inner faces ofthe walls .10, above and in spaced relationto the apron y or Vconveyer, the vflanged metal strips 1'2 are se- `cured. The spaced, longitudinally Vdisposed bars 13 are connected at their ends by the angular metal plates '14, vand between'gthese bars .13 and in spaced relation thereto, a.

4The outer edges of these plates are dow-nwardly ianged, as shown at 18 and-said flanges are adapted to be engaged between theflanged metal strips 12 and the-wallslO.

lll/hen theplates 17 are in'positiom'tlie bars 13 and 15 are supported with their low-er faces slightly above the upper stretch of the apron 8 and the vertical iianges on the plates 14- are notched or recessed, as at l19,in lcoinciding relation with the space 20 between vthe inner edges of the plates 17 and thev side faces of the centralbar 15.

Between the walls 10, adjacent tlieirupper edges,the inclined wall 21 is secured,the

lower edge of said wall being disposed contiguous tothe periphery Vof the feed roller 22, the shaft or axis oft-his roller `being rotatably-mountedin the wall-slO. `Afdol'ible belt pulley 23 is fixed upon one end of the roller shaft, the belt receiving grooves being of relatively different diameters. The periphery of the roller 22 has spaced pockets 2l formed therein, and a stiff fiber brush 25 is secured upon the upper surface of the wall 2l and engaged upon the periphery of the roller to prevent the clogging or wedglng of the beans between the edge of the wall 21 and said roller. A suitable hopper, indicated at Q6, is mounted upon the walls 10, and from this hopper the beans are continuously fed to the roller. A screw 2l 1s threaded into the base wall of each of the pcckets 24 in the feed roller, and by adjusting these screws, it will be readily understood that the pockets will be ofgreater or less capacit y so as to receive varying quantities of seed.

Upon the inner vertical edges of the walls 10, suitable guides 27 are secured to receive the edges of a removable plate 28, the lower edge of which is centrally cut away or recessed, as at 29. This plate prevents the beans from moving longitudinally olf of the ends of the directing plates 17 and upon the conveyer or apron 8. I

The shaft ot' the roller 6 is also provided upon one end with a double belt pulley 30 and a driving belt 3l is engaged 1n the corresponding grooves of the' wheels 22 and 31, and may be operated from any suitable source of power, such for instance, as a pedal actuated shaft mounted in the sup-V porting frame for the bars 5. It will be understood that by shifting this belt, the feed roller and the apron may be operated at the desired speed. A belt tensioning roller 32 is mounted in one end of an arm which is pivoted upon one of the walls 1Q and is yieldingly held in engagement with Vone stretch of the belt 31 by means of the spring indicated at 34.

A bar 35 is provided upon one of its ends with the angular plates 36, these plates having one of their ends disposed upon the outer faces of the bars 5 and provided with longitudinal slots 37 therein through which bolts 38, fixed in the bars 5, extend. Suitable clamping nuts 39 are threaded upon these bolts to clamp the plates 36 against shiftingmovement. Spaced fingers 39 are fixed upon the bar 35 and project longitudinally over the upper stretch of the apron 8. To the lower edge of the bar 35 and between the fingers 39, a discharge spout 40 for the good beans is secured, and similar spouts 4l for VJthe bad beans are also secured to the opposite ends of said bar. By adjustably mounting the separating fingers and the discharge spouts in the manner above described, it will be readily understood that when the apron roller G is adjusted between the frame bars 5, the bar 35 is adjusted accordingly so that the goed and bad beans will be properly re- `downwardly between the spaced bars 13 and 15 and upon the upper stretch of the apron 8 in two parallel rows. The operator can thus more readily separate the worthless material from the goods beans and directthe same to the opposite edges of the apron, without scattering the good beans over the apron surface. The fingers 39 will, therefore, project the good beans into the central receiving tube l0 and the bad beans into the tubes l1 as they are discharged over the end of the traveling apron. When there is a less amount of waste material, the central bar 15 is removed, and the material delivered in larger quantity in a single stream directly upon the center of the'traveling' apron. lVhen there is comparatively little of the waste material in the beans, the plates 17 and bars 13 and 15 may be entirely removed so that the material will be delivered directly from the hopper by the feed roller upon the upper stretch of the apron.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the construction, manner of operation, and 100 several advantages of my invention Will be clearly and fully understood. The operator is enabled, by means of the machine, to effect a thorough.separation of the worthless matter from the beans in a relatively 105 short time and with comparatively little manual labor. lVhile I have herein referred Vto the machine as being employed for the sorting or separation 0f beans, it is manifest that the invention may also be utilized for various other analogous purposes. It is further to be understood that while Ihave herein set forth the preferred construction and relative arrangement of the various elements employed, the same are, neverthless, susceptible of considerable modification and I, therefore, reserve the privilege of adopting all such legitimate changes as may be fairly. embodied within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I desire to claim and secure by Letters Iatent is :h Y

1. In a machine of the character described, an endless apron` meansfor feeding materi-al to the upper stretch of the apron, said means including spaced bars, and an intermediate removable bar whereby the material'may be fed to the apron in spaced, parallel lines when said bar is in po- CJi sition, or may be delivered at a single point centrally upon the apron when the bar is removed.

2. In a machine of the character described, an endless apron, a rotatable feed roller mounted above one end of the apron, means, including a removable bar, for delivering the material from the roller upon the upper stretch of the apron either in spaced, parallel lines when said bar is in position or at a single point centrally of the apron when the bar is removed, and means for synchronously operating the apron and feed roller.

3. In a machine of the character described, a movable apron, a feed hopper mounted above said apron, and a distributor removably mounted beneath the hopper and including a removable part whereby the material is delivered upon the apron at spaced points when said part is in position or at a single point upon the apron when said part is removed.

4. In a machine of the character described,

v an endless traveling apron, spaced parallel Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cent s each, by addressing the bars, inclined directing plates connected to said bars at their inner edges, means for removably supporting said bars and the directing means above the upper stretch of the apron, said plates delivering the material at a central position upon the upper stretch of the apron, and means for operating the apron.

5. In a machine of the character described, spaced parallel bars, a removable bar mounted above said spaced bars and in spaced relation to the latter bars, inclined directing plates connected to said bars at their inner edges, means for removably supporting said bars and the directing means above the upper stretch of the apron, said plates delivering the material between said bars in parallel lines upon the apron, and means for operating the apron.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aiiix my signature in the presence of tivo Witnesses.

MERTON MERRIMAN.

Witnesses:

JAMES HOLLMAN, E. S. CUTsronTH.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

